Monday, June 25, 2012

Marlon Byrd, an 11-year Major League veteran who was released by the Red Sox earlier this month, received a 50-game suspension Monday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Byrd is currently a free agent, so he will be placed on the restricted list for the duration of his suspension, which will begin immediately and will be in effect through Aug. 20. It will result in the loss of 50 days of pay.

The outfielder, an All-Star with the Cubs in 2010, tested positive for Tamoxifen, the Commissioner’s Office said.

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It's been quite the downward spiral for Marlon. Always seemed like a great guy, but I grew to loathe watching him hit in 2011 and earlier this year with the Cubs. It was like he couldn't wait to ground out and get back to the bench.

As a Cub fan I'd like to know if this saves us btwn 1.5-2 mil this year since these suspensions are unpaid. He was making 6.5 mil this year and the Cubs were to pay most of the remaining money owed to him this year.

Wait, why is he being allowed to serve his suspension as a free agent when Manny had to sign with a team before he could start serving?

The same Manny who got could have served out his suspension and then retired (as opposed to Byrd, who was a FA first)? And the same Manny who got his 100-day ban shortened to 50 games? As victims of unfairness go, he doesn't.

MLB had to take this action, otherwise any FA who tests positive could end up with a de facto lifetime ban.

I grew to loathe watching him hit in 2011 and earlier this year with the Cubs. It was like he couldn't wait to ground out and get back to the bench.

Interesting. He was horrible for the Sox too but I always thought he was playing with a lot of energy and desire. Did the Aceves beaning just mess him up? It looks like he was having a pretty decent season last year until that happened. He would certainly not be the first player whose career spiraled down after getting beaned.

I assumecif you retire you're no longer in the union. Whereas Byrd is still covered by the CBA, even if not currently under contract.

Isn't Byrd technically still under contract? He's been released, and isn't on a roster, but he did sign a guaranteed contract for the 2012 season. That's why if he were to sign with another team, it'd be for the minimum (because of the already existing contract)

Along the lines of 11, the excerpt says he will lose 50 games of pay. I assume that is the difference. He will not be paid for almost a third of the season. That's a pretty healthy punishment, I'd say.

I'd also say this would be incentive for a team to get a guy to fail a test if they want to release him. The Sox save some money here.

The same Manny who got could have served out his suspension and then retired (as opposed to Byrd, who was a FA first)? And the same Manny who got his 100-day ban shortened to 50 games? As victims of unfairness go, he doesn't.

MLB had to take this action, otherwise any FA who tests positive could end up with a de facto lifetime ban

for someone who does not normally follow the ins and outs of suspensions and roster stuff, this quote is a little confusing. when you say "this action" you are referring to Byrd as a free agent under suspension? Not sure what the defacto lifetime ban is referring to.

If he had reported the Tamoxifen before the test with a note from his doctor, would he have been OK?

This is why any leaks in the drug testing program at MLB are so serious and why it's not just a slam dunk case of "We don't want our players on steroids, so they should just submit to being tested." A completely plausible explanation for this is that Byrd didn't want his cancer publicized, didn't trust that the details of his treatment wouldn't be leaked by MLB, and so he rolled the dice to see if he could pass the test. I'm not saying this is what happened, but it's not implausible and it makes me very sad that players might be confronted with this sort of choice.

As a Cub fan I'd like to know if this saves us btwn 1.5-2 mil this year since these suspensions are unpaid. He was making 6.5 mil this year and the Cubs were to pay most of the remaining money owed to him this year.

That's a good question... since the Cubs shipped money to the Sox to pay him, do they get a refund? Feels like they should... or maybe split the savings 50/50 or something.

for someone who does not normally follow the ins and outs of suspensions and roster stuff, this quote is a little confusing. when you say "this action" you are referring to Byrd as a free agent under suspension? Not sure what the defacto lifetime ban is referring to.

If a player fails a test (or, the result of a failed test is released) while he's a FA, and he has to be on a roster first before a suspension can begin, then he's in the position where it's possible no team will give him an opportunity to play. Since he's first got to serve a 50-game ban even before he can suit up, he could be deemed not worth the effort. It could be the end of a marginal player's career, a guy like Marlon Byrd, and I don't think that's the intent.

Interesting. He was horrible for the Sox too but I always thought he was playing with a lot of energy and desire. Did the Aceves beaning just mess him up? It looks like he was having a pretty decent season last year until that happened. He would certainly not be the first player whose career spiraled down after getting beaned.

The beaning was May 21, and he missed all of June. It's certainly possible that he lost something with the beaning. The problem is that if you look at his monthly splits, it looks like his collapse occurred quite suddenly but somewhat after his return from the DL. Was the good part of the season a BABIP mirage? Did he screw himself up somehow, maybe from worrying about the strikeouts? Is it just small sample fluctuations?

The beaning was May 21, and he missed all of June. It's certainly possible that he lost something with the beaning. The problem is that if you look at his monthly splits, it looks like his collapse occurred quite suddenly but somewhat after his return from the DL. Was the good part of the season a BABIP mirage? Did he screw himself up somehow, maybe from worrying about the strikeouts? Is it just small sample fluctuations?

Did he have any kind of collision that might've given him another concussion after coming back? Like a collision at home or with an outfield wall or something? Or even a diving catch attempt that jarred his head? Seems like he was recovering well from the beaning until something else happened, just by looking at the stats.

He would certainly not be the first player whose career spiraled down after getting beaned.

He also wouldn't be the first somewhat-above-average-but-not-really-a-star player to hit a wall in his 30s, either.

I'm not saying that the beaning didn't play a part in his decline, as it's certainly possible that it did, and at any rate it certainly didn't help him. I'm just saying that, if he put up the same numbers over the past two years even if the beaning had never happened, I don't think any of us would think it was all that much of a surprise.

Along the lines of 11, the excerpt says he will lose 50 games of pay. I assume that is the difference. He will not be paid for almost a third of the season. That's a pretty healthy punishment, I'd say.

I'd also say this would be incentive for a team to get a guy to fail a test if they want to release him. The Sox save some money here.

The Cubs aren't getting any financial relief from Marlon Byrd's 50-game suspension for taking a banned substance, despite the team having to pay most of the remaining money on Byrd's $6 million salary when he was traded to Boston. The Red Sox would've gotten out of paying Byrd for the 50 lost games had he still been on their roster, but since he was released two weeks ago, Byrd gets all the money he was owed, despite being suspended. [Cubs GM Jed] Hoyer declined to discuss Byrd's situation, other than saying he was "still trying to get to the bottom of the situation."

That seems weird, if his suspension can be served while he's unemployed, but he's still getting paid for it.